Hero's welcome for opposition leader at Onchiyam

KOZHIKODE: At a time when many of his comrades are in the dock for their alleged involvement in the gruesome killing of RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan, Opposition leader and CPM central committee member V S Achuthanandan on Saturday surprised the political world by visiting the house of the slain leader.
The visit is seen as a clear signal to his detractors in the party as VS timed it to coincide with a crucial byelection in Neyyattinkara. Interestingly, he decided to leave for Onchiyam in Kozhikode immediately after a brief meeting with his bete noire Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPM state secretary.
Ever since Chandrasekharan was murdered on May 4, VS has been openly flouting party diktat to keep quiet on the incident. The CPM has been maintaining that the arrests of its senior comrades were part of a Congress-sponsored strategy to dent the party's image.
But Achuthanandan was in for a hero's welcome at Onchiyam, native place of Chandrasekharan, whom Pinarayi had dubbed a renegade after he had quit the party following differences of opinion with him.
Hundreds of RMP workers and local residents waited in front of Chandrasekharan's Thaivechaparambil house at Onchiyam for VS's arrival. RMP activists raised slogans as the veteran communist walked the last 150 metres to the house. Police had a tough time in helping VS pass through the crowd.
Inside the house, VS stood in silence as K K Rema, Chandrasekharan's wife, grabbed his folded palms and broke out in tears. VS also consoled Chandrasekharan's mother.
The Opposition leader then had a closed-door meeting with Rema, her father and CPM Balussery area committee member K K Madhavan, Chandrasekharan's son Abhinand and RMP area secretary N Venu for about half-an-hour.
Later, VS went to Chandrasekharan's newly-constructed house in an adjacent property where his body was cremated, and offered floral tributes to his one-time comrade. Achuthanandan returned to the car through the crowd, but refused to talk to reporters, who had followed him from Kozhikode.
Rema said VS's visit was a political recognition for the RMP. "He gave us a patient audience. His visit is a great relief for me and my family. VS's visit has proved that Chandrasekharan was indeed a brave communist," she said.
When Achuthanandan was at Chandrasekharan's house, a CPM meeting was on in Kozhikode to report the developments after the party congress. Pinarayi Vijayan, politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai and others addressed the meeting.